Test drive: Skoda’s new Octavia

Everyone’s favorite D-segment tank is on a revival run, and it’s looking more refined than ever

The first Octavia, when launched here in 2001, established Skoda as a major player in the Indian market. The car was fast, economical, comfortable and solidly built. This time around, Skoda is set to revive the original name and launch the Octavia III here by the end of this year. The carmaker will tune the 2.0-litre diesel and the 1.8-litre TSI petrol engines for more power and performance, and will also offer new, smaller engines like the 1.4-litre TSI.

Its styling is clean. The focus of the design is Skoda’s new ‘butterfly’ grille, with its 21 high-gloss slats and two-tone flying arrow badge. Chiseled headlamps and a square jaw lend a nose that has presence. Detailing on the remainder of the car is minimal though. Still, a BMW-like flick is visible at the base of the C-pillar, and a black splitter adds definition to the rear of the car.

On the inside, the car is more practical. The dashboard is neat and minimalist and the wide centre console has a large colour touchscreen at the centre. A generous amount of aluminium is now used on the doors and around the gear lever, and a smooth velvet-like finish has been employed for some of the larger swatches of plastic on the dash. Also adding to the neat look of the cabin are the white-on-black dials.
As for space, there are – characteristically – oodles of it. The new Octavia’s wheelbase is a massive 108 mm larger than the Laura, and the cabin feels noticeably wider too. Both the front and the rear are spacious. The seats are large and comfortable, although a bit more support from the rear seats would have been great. Skoda has also provided plenty of cabin stowage, be it for larger bottles or essentials like phones. In the boot, you get a very generous 590 litres, which goes up by 1,000 litres with the rear seats folded down.
The new Octavia is built on a new platform using high-strength steel but is nearly 70 Kg lighter than its predecessor, boding well for performance, efficiency and tailpipe emissions.

It’s also lighter to drive than you’d expect. It’s easy to guide this 2.0 TDI with nothing more than your fingertips, and the electric power steering system is quite accurate. Its suspension deals with broken craggy roads reasonably well, except for some of the sharper bumps where it noticeably strained.

The 2.0-litre diesel unit at the heart is decently powerful in the mid-range and spins fast all the way up to speeds as high as 170 Kph. It does take a bit of time to respond at low engine speeds though. It also gets noisy when revved hard. And the non-independent rear suspension doesn’t make it the best car for tackling fast corners.

The 1.8-litre petrol-powered version is much more agile and darts into corners like something half its size. The brakes are great and are reassuring when hugging curves. The electric steering system does insulate plenty of the driving feedback, but that’s a flaw which can be easily overlooked.

The best part though is the updated 177 Hp 1.8 TSI direct-injection, turbo-petrol motor. It’s really smooth and well integrated with the twin-clutch gearbox.

The new Octavia looks fresh, is comfortable, has plenty of space and each of the cars with the different engine options has a distinct character, something that will appeal to an entire spectrum of customers. The 1.4 TSI is likely to start at Rs 12.5 lakh (ex-showroom), the 1.8 TSI will cost a little more, and you should be able to get a decently spec’d diesel for Rs 14 lakh. Now all Skoda needs to do is improve on its aftersales service and its market share will be all but carved out.